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Manipulate (Skill)
The Manipulate skill is used to control opinion through ploys and complex mind games. It’s also used to subvert a person’s whims to your agenda. This skill is common to moles, “black widows,” and other devious or controlling archetypes. Player Character Immunity: The Spycraft game system assumes that all player characters are in charge of their own opinions, never gaining dispositions and never feeling their effects. Unless otherwise specified with another rule, Slander checks may target player characters, but they are not compelled to respond to them — the GC should instead inform players of the ‘typical’ reaction most observers would experience based on the result of the check before allowing players to dictate their own reactions. Brainwashing checks may target a player character without modification. Sample Knowledge: 'Ways to invoke disconnection, fear, and loneliness; behaviors that work best in alienating environments (like high schools, clubs, and large “cube farm” companies with leaders who never appear to their subordinates); famous ploys and scams throughout history; taunts. Harassment This skill check is used to slowly break a character, either using closed quarters “softening” techniques or by introducing persistent emotional turmoil into the target’s life. In order to target a character with this check, one of the following two conditions must be met during the entire time you’re making this check. *The target is trapped in a location with no apparent exit (e.g. a cell, an interrogation room, a house with bars on all the doors and windows, or a subterranean death maze with lethal traps at every turn). *You must have absolute control over one aspect of the target’s life (e.g. his finances, his identity, or his spouse or another loved one). In both cases, you must also be able to access the target or make a showing of your control over his life at least once every 8 hours while making this check (e.g. visiting him in his cell, cleaning out his bank accounts, sending him a videotape of a kidnapped loved one). When you harass a target remotely, Wisdom is your key attribute. When you visit him in captivity to harass him, Charisma is your key attribute. With a successful Harassment check opposing the target’s Sense Motive/Resist Manipulate check, he suffers an amount of stress damage equal to 1d6 + your key attribute modifier (minimum 1). The target may not heal this stress damage so long as the triggering condition persists (e.g. so long as he remains trapped in a location or a loved one isn’t returned home). No more than one triggering condition may apply to any target at any time; when multiple triggering conditions exist simultaneously, only one must be removed in order for the target to heal all stress damage inflicted. You ''cannot harass more than 1 NPC at a time. Stress damage inflicted by a Harassment check is not recovered until no Harassment checks are made against the target for 3 days. '''Cooperative: '''Yes (maximum helpers equal to your Charisma bonus, minimum 0). '''Synergy Skills: Synergy bonuses for Harassment checks depend on the nature of the target, not the current environment. Falsify grants a synergy bonus if the harassment involves physical props. '''Retry: '''No, though you may continue to make new checks as long as the triggering conditions continue to be met. '''Threat: '''The target wallows in desperation. Your error range with each Harassment check targeting him decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you fail a Harassment check (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''The target begins to realize his awful predicament. He suffers an amount of stress damage equal to 2d6 + twice your key attribute modifier (minimum 3). '''Error: '''The target is defiant. Your error range with each Harassment check targeting him increases by 2. This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you succeed with a Harassment check targeting him (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''The target finds his emotional center. You cannot target him with Harassment checks for the duration of the current mission. Slander This skill check is used to prompt one NPC or crowd of NPCs to dislike another. When you approach this goal with trickery, Wisdom is your key attribute. When you approach it with open anger, Charisma is your key attribute. Alternately, you may simply shower the first target with money or gifts in exchange for a promise to support your slander — a form of bribe. Slander doesn’t work quickly. With a successful Slander check opposing the first target’s Sense Motive/Resist Manipulate check, the first target’s disposition toward the second worsens by 1 grade until the end of the current mission. With failure, the first target’s disposition toward the second remains unchanged. This skill check may not worsen any target’s disposition toward another past Hostile. '''Cooperative: '''Yes (maximum helpers equal to your Charisma bonus, minimum 0). '''Retry: '''Yes, but your error range increases by 2 each time. Unless otherwise stated, all Slander error ranges reset at the start of each mission. '''Threat: '''Your tactic deeply penetrates the first target’s psyche. Your error range with each Slander check targeting him or it decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you fail a Slander check (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''The first NPC or crowd’s disposition toward the second is worsened by 2 grades until the end of the current mission, as desired. Alternately, you may spend 3 action dice to forge a lasting grudge, permanently worsening the first NPC or crowd’s disposition toward the second by 1 grade. '''Error: '''The first NPC or crowd shrugs off your feeble disparagement. Your error range with each Slander check targeting him or it increases by 2. This effect lasts until the end of the current scene or until you succeed with a Slander check (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''The first NPC or crowd may not be targeted with another Slander check during the same mission. Category:Skill Rules Category:Skill Checks